English Kenpo Martial Arts

Senior Grandmaster Edmund Kealoha Parker Sr.

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The Late Senior Grandmaster Edmund Kealoha Parker Sr.

March 19th 1931 – December 15th 1990

We would like to briefly introduce our founding “Father of American Karate”, the late Senior Grandmaster Edmund K. Parker. At sixteen years of age Ed Parker first began studying Kenpo with Frank Chow in his native homeland of Honolulu, Hawaii. Having been in many street fights himself, Mr. Parker quickly saw the benefits of Kenpo’s explosive action, minimum target exposure, and potential to ward off multiple attackers. Ed Parker is known as one of America’s foremost Karate Pioneers having opened the first karate studio in Provo, Utah in 1954. He opened his second school in Pasadena, CA in 1956, and within two years he was teaching many well known entertainment personalities.

In 1961 Time Magazine referred to Ed Parker as the “High Priest and Prophet of the Hollywood sect”. He taught such notables as Elvis Presley, Robert Wagner, Blake Edwards, Robert Culp, Robert Conrad, George Hamilton, Warren Beatty, and many others. In addition to his life long dedication and contribution to the Martial Arts, Mr. Parker had many firsts, such as the first; to teach a karate class on a university campus, to open a commercial studio in America, authentic karate technical advisor for television and movies in the U.S., to publish a rule booklet specifically for karate competition, and many others.

Some of his most notable books include “The Encyclopedia of Kenpo”, “The Zen of Kenpo”, and the five volume series, “Infinite Insights into Kenpo”. Today there are Ed Parker schools and affiliates throughout the United States, Ireland, Germany, England, New Zealand, Australia, Holland, Spain, Venezuela, Guatemala, Africa, Chile, and others.